1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for simulating the firing of a weapon and the explosion of the ammunition projectile for shots which are both on and off target.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, the object of an apparatus for simulated shooting must be a simulation and representation of the conditions which occur during actual shooting which are as true to reality as possible. As shown in German Pat. No. 1,261,019, a basic shooting simulator consists of a laser emitter coupled to a weapon, and one or more receivers which are located at the target. Whenever the receivers are struck by the emitted laser beam, a hit indicator is triggered which, for the purpose of a realistic response, sets off a pyrotechnic charge which imitates the light and/or smoke phenomena of the impact of a projectile. In place of the receiver at the target area, it is also possible to provide a reflector at the target and a receiver for the reflected laser radiation at the location of the emitter. In this case there must be an additional repeat signal, for example via radio, to the target in order to trigger the representation or simulation of the hit.
In the further development of shooting simulators, it was desired not only to be able to distinguish between hits and misses, but also to obtain qualitative information about the deviation of the simulated shot from the target, that is, the deviation of the hit point from the intended target. For this purpose, it is known to cause the laser beam to pass in a scanning pattern (German Laid-Open Application DAS No. 1,703,109) or to transmit numerous laser beams, marked by different pulse coding, in such a way that the individual laser beam segments are contiguous, without gaps or overlapping, so as to fill up a relatively large solid angle sector in the manner of a matrix (German Laid-Open Application DOS No. 2,149,729). An evaluation device is connected to the receiver located in the target area or at the emitter area, which device detects the point of the scanning pattern or of the solid angle matrix where the laser beam strikes the target, and from this determines the deviation of the sighted, simulated shot from the target in terms of magnitude and direction.
To determine the hit accuracy in a manner which is even more true to reality, the evaluation device can include consideration of further parameters, such as, for example, the measured target distance, the type of ammunition, the resulting transit time of the projectile, the angle of lead and the like in its evaluation. The result provides information as to whether and by how much the gunner has shot to the right or to the left, high or low, or too short or too far.
However, prior hereto, these refined measurement and evaluation methods for the hit accuracy in simulated shooting have not been utilized or translated in a manner sufficiently true to reality to represent or reflect the calculated deviations. This is to say that nothing had been developed which approached or simulated the actual explosion of "misdirected" shots and the visual feedback thus provided to a gunner. The amount and direction of the deviation of the hit point from the target can, for example, be indicated numerically. This may be valuable to the shooting instructor for assessing the gunner, but it is not of much use to the gunner himself since he must keep the target in view, and cannot read off any numerical indications, much less recalculate them into corrected aiming values.
Proposals have been made for the arrangement of light-emitting diodes on the edge of the field of vision of the weapon sight, which diodes are triggered selectively in order to indicate to the gunner whether his shot has gone to the right, to the left, high or low. A similar proposal envisages that a matrix of light-emitting diodes is reflected into the sight, which diodes can be triggered selectively for generating in the sight a point of light in a position which corresponds to the measured deviation from the observed target or aiming point.
All these electro-optical indications are of dubious value for the gunner because, in order for him to observe the indication, he must readapt his visual focal point from a distant target, which may virtually be to infinity, to a close object, namely the electro-optical indication. This is a complication and a nuisance, and would be of particular difficulty, for example, in the semi-darkness of an armored vehicle, or in bad weather and the like. The gunner requires several seconds for realigning or readjusting his eye to the target and, if the target has moved in the meantime, he must first visually locate the target again before he can fire a second, corrected shot of laser light. Furthermore, a light-emitting diode cannot imitate the light and smoke phenomena of the impact of a hit which occur in real sharpshooting. Such electro-optical indications are thus unrealistic and are not typical for a weapon system or for combat.
The known indicator devices are also subject to the disadvantage that they are or can be observed only by those in a position to read the devices, for example the gunner, and perhaps also the shooting instructor. They cannot be observed by the other participants of the shooting exercise or the maneuver. This is a disadvantage and a detraction from the realism of an exercise because, with simulated shots which merely go into the vicinity of the target and do not terminate with some kind of visual event, the persons at the target or in the target area do not know in which direction they must seek cover or initiate counter measures.
Accordingly, prior to the development of the present invention, there has been no apparatus for simulated shooting which makes it possible to obtain a representation, in a manner as true to reality as possible, of shots which merely land in the vicinity of the target; or of a representation which takes into account the measured and evaluated deviation of the hit from the target; or of a representation of the explosion of real projectiles in a manner which allows the gunner to make sight corrections on that basis as he would in a realistic situation; or finally, which can readily be observed by as many participants of the shooting exercise as possible. Therefore, the art has sought shooting simulation apparatus which can realistically represent actual shooting for all participants in the exercise.